Atomic-Level Dispersed\nPt on Vulcan Carbon Black Prepared\nby Electron Beam Irradiation as a Catalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution\nReaction

Pursuing and developing elegant and general approaches\nfor the\nlarge-scale production of atomic-level dispersed Pt catalysts are\nattractive for effective hydrogen production via water electrolysis.\nHerein, we propose an eco-friendly, cost-efficient, and scalable strategy\nby combining incipient wetness impregnation with electron beam irradiation\nto synthesize atomic-level dispersed 8 wt % Pt anchored on a carbon\nsupport. The Pt<sup>4+</sup> ions are efficiently reduced in situ\nto Pt<sup>2+</sup> while simultaneously inducing surface groups on\nthe carbon support. The excellent catalytic performance for the Pt-catalyzed\nhydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has been demonstrated on the basis\nof electrochemical tests, kinetic analyses, and the Tafel mechanism.\nWe clarified the influence of absorbed dose on the active site number,\nsurface functional groups, defect levels, electronic structure, and\nlocal environment of the catalysts. At the optimal dose of 100 kGy,\none can attain the utmost level of Pt<sup>2+</sup> content and generate\na greater abundance of oxygen-containing functional groups on the\ncarbon support, resulting in 4.5 times higher HER activity than the\ncommercial 20% Pt/C. This work provides a scientific paradigm to design\nand develop atomically dispersed precious metal catalysts for efficient\nand scalable electrolytic water splitting.